Come Together
by lighthope
Summary: But then I got my ability, I came to New York, and suddenly my life took on a new meaning. I was a hero. And then I found you. Matt/Daphne


This is my first Heroes fanfic, so please be gentle. I haven't published stuff here at in YEARS, so... yeah. :) I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please leave me some feedback -- good, constructive, I'll take it. Just please be respectful about it, that's all I ask.

Spoiler Alert: This is set between Volumes Three and Four, so there are spoilers up to and including 3 x 12 (Dual). They're only slight spoilers but still spoilers all the same.

Disclaimer: These people aren't mine, I didn't make them up, blah blah blah. :)

*

Come Together: Chapter 1

It was strange, Matt Parkman noted, that life could return to "normal" after helping to save the world -- numerous times, he might add. But it did. After this whole frenzy of helping to save Hiro Nakamura from being stuck in time and reviving Angela Petrelli from her telepathically induced coma, he suddenly found himself with lots of free time on his hands. Not that being a NYPD detective wasn't a hard job on its own. He just had more time to focus on his own life instead of trying to save everyone else's.

And now that he could focus on his own life, there was one more person he wanted to focus on as well...

*

"Daphne?" Matt asked, tentatively, over breakfast one day. Ever since she had left "that company," she had given up her apartment in Paris, claiming she wanted to live in the most glamorous city in her own country. A fleeting thought confirmed that wasn't the only reason she had chosen to leave, however. But Matt didn't mind one bit.

"Yeah?" she asked, setting down her spoonful of cereal (corn flakes -- _Figures_, Matt thought).

"I, um..." It was moments like these where he was grateful that people couldn't read _his_ mind. It was almost as if he had reverted back to those days when... but...

"Look, I know we kind of rushed into... well... whatever this is," Matt began, "but I wanted to spend some time with you." He took a deep breath and the rest of his own thoughts tumbled out. "When -- you know, when the last eclipse happened" -- at this Daphne winced; they both knew she didn't like reminders of her time being powerless -- "you said that I didn't know you. And even though I know you're a good person, deep down, you're right; I still don't really know you that well." At this, he reached a hand out to grasp hers lightly.

"But I want to."

Daphne looked up at him, smiling coyly. "Are you saying you want to go on a date, Parkman?"

"Well... yeah, something like that," Matt admitted. His companion grinned, grasping his hand a little more tightly. "Only if you promise me one thing."

"What's that?" Matt asked, though he heard the answer before she could say it -- and figured that had to do with everything. "Try not to listen to my thoughts too much, okay?"

He blinked, looked at her and said, "Deal. But I can't promise not to listen at all. Just -- don't think too loud."

She laughed, that peal of a sound that made Matt's heart leap, always. "I can think fast, if you want." Daphne winked, finished off her corn flakes, and left the table, stopping to kiss Matt lightly on the cheek before she walked away.

*

"So, where do you want to go on this date?" Daphne asked as they left the apartment, her eyes glittering with excitement.

"I don't know," Matt said. "Actually it doesn't really matter to me, as long as we get to spend time together. Let's see... maybe a museum?" he suggested.

"No," Daphne said flatly, all sparkle gone from her expression. Matt looked at her curiously, trying hard not to focus on her voice and instead listened to someone on the corner having a furious conversation with herself in her head. Daphne shook her head and said, "Bad memories."

"Ah." Matt nodded. "Well, there's the park," he offered. "Just as long as you promise not to run away too fast."

"What, me, run away from you?" Daphne teased. "Not a chance. Besides, too many people, they ask too many questions." _And you're a good person, remember, Daphne? No more stealing._

At that, Matt looked curiously over at Daphne, who stared back at him. "I thought we agreed that you weren't going to listen," she said.

"I know, sorry. Can't help it sometimes, though." He took her hand placatingly, and Daphne relaxed a little, letting a smile play on her features. Try as she might to play hard to get, she was really enjoying this. And not just because she was on a date.

"So, the park it is then?" Matt clarified, and Daphne nodded. "Let's go."

*

"The park" in question, Central Park, was always full of interesting characters, no matter where you went. And it was huge. Even though Daphne could run really, really, ireally/i fast, it was still bigger than she thought it would be.

"You okay with this walking thing?" Matt asked, looking down at her. He knew it must be hard for her, not zipping from one place to another. But Daphne looked up at him, smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Walking is nice sometimes, I guess." The truth was, Daphne never cared for walking. Once she had been freed, she always wanted to zip, zip, zip to her next destination. Twenty-seven years' worth of imprisonment had taken its toll on her soul. But walking with Matt? That, she could handle. In fact, with every step further that she took, she came to relish it.

They meandered around the park for a good few hours, stopping here and there to get something to eat, or to watch something entertaining. They eventually settled down on a park bench near the fountain and the lake; they were both clutching ice cream cones. So far, Matt had learned that Daphne's favorite ice cream flavor was strawberry, and that she knew how to make it; he learned she kept her hair short because her mother had cut it accidentally when she was a teenager and she liked it better the way it was now; and that her mother had died of cancer. "Yeah..." Daphne said, a dark storm cloud suddenly taking over her features. "Not really a good time in my life."

"I get it," Matt told her, stroking her thumb gently. She looked up at him in alarm, and Matt faltered for a moment before he understood -- she thought he had read her thoughts again. "No, no, it's not that -- it's just... I've had hard times too, I guess."

"You guess?" Daphne repeated incredulously, half in disbelief of what she took to be insensitivity, and half in curiosity... what kind of hard times would Matt have been through?

"Yeah..." He sighed. "It was hard growing up. My dad left when I was young. I have, um, dyslexia. It's a learning disability. It was always hard for me to read things, to understand what people would write... it made it hard to get far. I was stuck in a dead-end career. I had a beautiful wife, but it turned out that she was cheating on me. And to make matters worse, when she found out she was pregnant..." His breath caught for a second, and Daphne suddenly understood.

"I'm so sorry, Matt," Daphne said sincerely. Matt shrugged. "But then I got my ability, I came to New York, and suddenly my life took on a new meaning. I was a hero. I had Molly. And then I found you." He smiled down at her, but Daphne was still stuck in the middle of his sentence.

"Wait, hang on. Molly?" she asked pointedly, raising her eyebrows. Matt nodded, forgetting she hadn't known Molly. "Oh yes. Molly. She's... well, she's kind of like my adopted daughter. I found her during one of my assignments in L.A. Um, Sylar... he got to her parents." He nodded. "Mohinder and I took care of her for a while."

"Where is she now?" Daphne asked. Matt sighed. "She's in India. We sent her there to protect her from all the things that were happening. I mean, look at Mohinder now; he's not in any state to take care of her."

Daphne nodded, licking her strawberry ice cream thoughtfully. Matt politely let her sit in peace, thinking his own thoughts and not focusing on the dull roar that was constantly in his head whenever he was in a public place.

"Why me, Matt?" she asked, after a few thoughtful moments.

Matt glanced down at her, saw the vulnerability shining through. "Why you?" he repeated, while lacing his fingers through hers. Daphne nodded.

"Let's see. You're beautiful, you're _amazingly_ fast, you don't hesitate to speak your mind -- you're spunky. I like that," he nodded, smiling. "But deep down, you have a good heart. Even if you've made some mistakes along the way. It's okay. Everyone makes mistakes."

Daphne gazed up at Matt for a long moment, and then burst into a bright smile, hugging him as tightly as she could considering they were on a park bench. Matt relaxed into her embrace, holding her closely, stroking her hair lightly. "But why me?" he whispered into her ear.

Pulling away quickly, Daphne looked up at him as if he'd said something that made no sense. "Why you?" she asked, as if it was obvious. "Come on, Matt, you're amazing. You're such an amazing person. You have this gift, and you use it to do good things. You take care of so many -- Molly -- and now me," she added. "You're just... there are no words," she finally finished. Then she paused. "I can show you, if you want."

Matt nodded. He wasn't used to hearing such high praise from people. Daphne set her ice cream down carefully -- "I still want that, it's my favorite" -- and then slowly readjusted herself so that she was facing him. Then, very slowly, she lifted her hand to caress his face, stroking it ever so lightly -- Matt's eyes fluttered closed at her touch -- and softly pressed her lips to his, moving them against his just enough. "Because you took the time to care about me when no one else would," she breathed against his lips, and then pulled away to watch his reaction.

Matt opened his eyes to find Daphne looking up at him hopefully. Then it was his turn to burst into a bright smile and hold her close, dropping a kiss on her forehead. "Why wouldn't I?" he asked, lightly. She shrugged, but snuggled up to him all the same.


End file.
